Merry Kwanzaa

[thealmighty]

It's not just about Christmas.

Happy Holidays in whatever form they may take.

[thealmighty]

dola...

...or is it happy? I should know, I suppose. Apologies if wrong.

[fantastic flying froggies]

Pardon my ignorant french atheist self, but what is Kwanzaa ?

[Groundhog]

KWANZAA, the African-American cultural holiday conceived and developed by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga, was first celebrated on December 26, 1966. Kwanzaa is traditionally celebrated from December 26 through January 1, with each day focused on Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles. Derived from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits", Kwanzaa is rooted in the first harvest celebrations practiced in various cultures in Africa. Kwanzaa seeks to enforce a connectedness to African cultural identity, provide a focal point for the gathering of African peoples, and to reflect upon the Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles, that have sustained Africans. Africans and African-Americans of all religious faiths and backgrounds practice Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa was born out of the whirlwind of social and political changes of the sixties decade. The sixties represent one of many eras during which the African and African-American struggle for freedom and self-identity reached its historical peak, spawning multiple revolutionary movements.

By creating Kwanzaa, African-Americans sought to rectify the cultural and economic exploitation perpetrated against us during the months of October, November, and December (the Christmas season). During this season, corporate America typically ignored the quality of life concerns of African-Americans, yet encouraged participation in the commercialism of Christmas. Additionally, African-Americans did not observe a holiday that was specific to our needs. A review of the major holidays celebrated in the United States would reveal that not one related specifically to the growth and development of African-Americans. The development of Kwanzaa assumed a reassessment, reclaiming, recommitment, remembrance, retrieval, resumption, resurrection, and rejuvenation of the "Way of Life" principles recognized by African-Americans. These principles have strengthened African-Americans during our worldwide sojourn.

Today, Kwanzaa is recognized by millions throughout America and the world. It is celebrated often in community settings provided by homes, churches, mosques, temples, community centers, schools, and places of work. Kwanzaa allows us to celebrate the season without shame or fear of embracing our history, our culture, and ourselves.

[sachmo71]

We had a Kwanzaa feast at church, and I must say I was surprised about how little I knew about African culture. The upside? I learned.

And the food was excellent! :)

[CamEdwards]

Happy Ramahanukwanzmas.

[Axxon]

Originally posted by Groundhog
Derived from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits", Kwanzaa is rooted in the first harvest celebrations practiced in various cultures in Africa.

So it's a celebration of African fruits?? What lengths some people will go to for a holiday. Well, it's better than that oil based holiday I suppose.

All of this is of course ;) and :D and happy holidays to everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Young Drachma]

Originally posted by Groundhog

Today, Kwanzaa is recognized by millions throughout America and the world. It is celebrated often in community settings provided by homes, churches, mosques, temples, community centers, schools, and places of work. Kwanzaa allows us to celebrate the season without shame or fear of embracing our history, our culture, and ourselves.


The problem with "Kwanzaa" is simple, most people don't celebrate it. But its a great way for the media and uninformed folks to think they're "connecting" with colored people.

I mean, I appreciate the sentiment. But its just the homogenization of African culture.

It's a fraud and should be treated as such.

[wbatl1]

I believe it is Joyful Kwanzaa.:D

[Groundhog]

Originally posted by Dark Cloud
The problem with "Kwanzaa" is simple, most people don't celebrate it. But its a great way for the media and uninformed folks to think they're "connecting" with colored people.

I mean, I appreciate the sentiment. But its just the homogenization of African culture.

It's a fraud and should be treated as such.

Well... it looks like someone isn't showing the Kwanzaa spirit!

[Die Hand die Verletzt]

Originally posted by Groundhog
KWANZAA, the African-American cultural holiday conceived and developed by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga, was first celebrated on December 26, 1966. Kwanzaa is traditionally celebrated from December 26 through January 1, with each day focused on Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles. Derived from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits", Kwanzaa is rooted in the first harvest celebrations practiced in various cultures in Africa. Kwanzaa seeks to enforce a connectedness to African cultural identity, provide a focal point for the gathering of African peoples, and to reflect upon the Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles, that have sustained Africans. Africans and African-Americans of all religious faiths and backgrounds practice Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa was born out of the whirlwind of social and political changes of the sixties decade. The sixties represent one of many eras during which the African and African-American struggle for freedom and self-identity reached its historical peak, spawning multiple revolutionary movements.

By creating Kwanzaa, African-Americans sought to rectify the cultural and economic exploitation perpetrated against us during the months of October, November, and December (the Christmas season). During this season, corporate America typically ignored the quality of life concerns of African-Americans, yet encouraged participation in the commercialism of Christmas. Additionally, African-Americans did not observe a holiday that was specific to our needs. A review of the major holidays celebrated in the United States would reveal that not one related specifically to the growth and development of African-Americans. The development of Kwanzaa assumed a reassessment, reclaiming, recommitment, remembrance, retrieval, resumption, resurrection, and rejuvenation of the "Way of Life" principles recognized by African-Americans. These principles have strengthened African-Americans during our worldwide sojourn.

Today, Kwanzaa is recognized by millions throughout America and the world. It is celebrated often in community settings provided by homes, churches, mosques, temples, community centers, schools, and places of work. Kwanzaa allows us to celebrate the season without shame or fear of embracing our history, our culture, and ourselves.

Failure to use documentation and/or site sources= plagiarism.

Unless you wrote that. But if you did write that, then you write like an encyclopedia.

:D

[Groundhog]

Originally posted by Die Hand die Verletzt
Failure to use documentation and/or site sources= plagiarism.

Unless you wrote that. But if you did write that, then you write like an encyclopedia.

:D

Uhh... sure I did :)

It was the first google link I found actually: http://www.melanet.com/kwanzaa/whatis.html

[Die Hand die Verletzt]

Originally posted by Groundhog
Uhh... sure I did :)

It was the first google link I found actually: http://www.melanet.com/kwanzaa/whatis.html

:D

[Young Drachma]

Originally posted by Groundhog
Well... it looks like someone isn't showing the Kwanzaa spirit!

:D

Yeah, but I'm not sure what the Kwanzaa version of a grinch is?

Oh yeah, I do.

It's "the man"

[stick-um37]

Well I celebrate Kwanzaa. It’s a great way for me to teach my kids their history outside and beyond slavery, in a formal setting. My kids love it and look forward to it every year. It’s more of a family thing for me than a commercial thing. I think we have to remember that Africans have been forcefully assimilated in to a foreign culture. We have to take the gifts of that culture to learn and appreciate the culture/history that we once had. Bottom line is I teach my kids that that name Africa in the term African American means something more than the place were slaves came from (and still do in some places today).

[Young Drachma]

Originally posted by stick-um37
Well I celebrate Kwanzaa. It’s a great way for me to teach my kids their history outside and beyond slavery, in a formal setting. My kids love it and look forward to it every year. It’s more of a family thing for me than a commercial thing. I think we have to remember that Africans have been forcefully assimilated in to a foreign culture. We have to take the gifts of that culture to learn and appreciate the culture/history that we once had. Bottom line is I teach my kids that that name Africa in the term African American means something more than the place were slaves came from (and still do in some places today).

I recognize that some folks celebrate it and that's their business. The few that I know who do, its precisely as you as it is for them. So I suppose anything that can increase people's awareness is important.

The notion of the holiday itself is a bit disconcerting though, not only because of its rather notorious creation - and creator - but because it promulgates this false notion of "African nationalism". Even if it could be exported in neat little bottles (or in separatist holidays), the fact is, it [Kwanzaa] can be extremely divisive and I think its far outlived its usefulness for reasons I mentioned before.

After all, if Kwanzaa (whether it is or not) the "black holiday" is something we need to be tolerant of, what comes next? Some sort of "white-only" holiday? The implications are scary, but as the country continues to move right of center, its something that people need to be mindful of, IMHO.



Boy, I'm feeling really mean and scrooge-like and I'm not trying to be. At all....

I'm gonna go play FOF, play nice music and reflect. :)

[stick-um37]

I don't and will never view Kwanzaa as a "black" Holiday just because "black" people celebrate it. We have to under stand that race (black and white) was and is a political terms. If you study ancient history people would use terms such as "moor" meaning dark skin or "ethiop" meaning burnt skin as a form of description not to enslave or to demean. This is very evident in the Roman empire were "blacks" held high office, or the Moorish dynasties from around 750 to 1492 AD. It’s because of this I feel the terms Afro centric or euro centrism is irrelevant. History is history and people are people. Get over this fear of "black this or white that. If an Irish family celebrates his St Patrick’s Day beautiful. If an African American family celebrates his Kwanzaa beautiful. I also understand Kwanzaa’s' creator and beginnings during the height of "black nationalism” I think your beef is not with Kwanzaa, its with the commercialism of holidays (i.e. Christmas or Kwanzaa in this case) and culture (i.e. the Italian mafia stereotype) as a whole. The calibration of a peoples culture and history could never "outlive its usefulness" no matter the color of ones skin or geographic presence on the planet.

[Young Drachma]

Originally posted by stick-um37
I don't and will never view Kwanzaa as a "black" Holiday just because "black" people celebrate it. We have to under stand that race (black and white) was and is a political terms.

Most people view it as a black holiday. Because the founder certainly didn't intend white folks to be wandering on Kwanzaa in a kufi (hat) and wearing kente cloth. His notion then was black separatism. Of course, he never envisioned (did anyone) that the mainstream would embrace it and so, naturally, they've had to change it to make it more presentable.

I think you're right that people are indeed people. That's why I have extremely reservations about giving children a false sense of who they are.

I'm black, grew up in pretty racially mixed (but predominately black) city in New Jersey. They brought the Kwanzaa stuff to school and I bet most people embraced because they felt this sense of kindred spirit with something they probably thought was geninue and pure.

I argue that if people are going to celebrate their "heritage", then learn the facts. If you're going to sell kids this homogenized "McHoliday" wrapped in the Red, Green and Black and tell them that Kwanzaa is their "heritage" when that's simply not true, then I have a real problem with that.

My problem with the mainstreaming of "black culture" (a term I despise) is that its becoming a marginalizing thing, rather than something that brings people together.

I go to a small liberal arts college in Western Illinois that is pretty much all white. Most of the people here could care less about anything that's not white and to have a frank discussion about race here is like pulling teeth in most cases. What's my point?

The point is, we've turned people off. We've made them afraid to speak, because they think they have no credibility or worse, because they think its not relevant to them. So they ignore the full history of our own country and thus, fail to recognize that there were and are positive contributions made to the development and present day success of this great experiment we call the US of A.

In other words, why teach kids about far off, distant Africa - that they cannot relate to - in an succint way, while ignoring their own heritage in this country? Pan-African nationalism was in revolt to the subjugation of blacks in America and elsewhere in the world (that still happens). But has anyone seriously tried to say, "Damnit, who cares how we got here. We're here now, we've been here longer than pretty much anybody else and we're gonna make sure our kids know that and earn their birthright and that of their ancestors."

Without that knowledge, they read and hear garbage, half-truths and other things and start to believe it. What's worse is, black kids internalize a lot of this crap and are the ones who SPREAD it to their white friends. It's obviously really complicated and so maybe I'm going a bit far and you're not following me.

So my beef with Kwanzaa goes beyond commercialism. I don't care about that, because it pervades everything and frankly, the capitalist, moderate conservative side of me could care less. People do what makes them happy.

I'm just concerned with the implications that farces like Kwanzaa have on children, because of good-intentioned and well meaning attempts at building self-pride, while ignoring history.

Why do I feel so damn guilty for having a serious discussion about something around Christmastime? It just feels weird...

[stick-um37]

No, I'm following you very well. I agree with almost all your points. I just think its the way it was presented, because I tell my kids that’s its not how you got here but what you do while your here, but at the same time don't forget how you got here and know who you were before you got here.

quote:
I argue that if people are going to celebrate their "heritage", then learn the facts. If you're going to sell kids this homogenized "McHoliday" wrapped in the Red, Green and Black and tell them that Kwanzaa is their "heritage" when that's simply not true, then I have a real problem with that.

I agree wholeheartedly. I try and tell people that every time they ask me about Kwanzaa. I use it as a tool not a point of reference (so to speak). A tool to spread African history African American history to my kids and family. You see, I'm big on knowing your history not only African but history in general. I believe that If history is taught properly that ones view of another would change drastically. Just the overall mindset and that deep-rooted stereotype people have of others when do as little as walk past you in the street would change if you know factual history. Maybe I'm just trying to save the world through my kids but I just feel that this "tool" called Kwanzaa If used properly can be beneficial.
Bottom line for me is I think we are looking at the same thing from different angles. That’s cool though. It's late and I'm outa here
Have good and healthy holidays.
BTW I hate that term "black culture" myself. I was just telling my wife about that the other day.

[Young Drachma]

I sorta felt like that's what you were saying all along.

I think its just a lack of not writing for a while that had me off on the rant. Well that and I've written about it ad nauseum before, so maybe it was just all that coming out. :)

Thanks for tolerating. Happy holidays to you, too.